For the Love of Money
by Mogo Girl
Summary: Hawke and Cait are just embarking on a new relationship when Caitlin gets caught up in the middle of a bank robbery. Will Hawke and Dom be able to get her out alive or will even Airwolf not be enough to save her this time?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only. _

_Summary: Hawke and Cait are just embarking on a new relationship when Caitlin gets caught up in the middle of a bank robbery. Will Hawke and Dom be able to get her out alive or will even Airwolf not be enough to save her this time? _

_**For The Love of Money**_

_"Good Morning, Fellas!" Caitlin sang out happily as she walked into the Santini Air hangar carrying coffee and pastries. _

_"Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine this morning?" Hawke said with a cocked eyebrow as Caitlin put down the box of sweets and handed out the coffee. "Any particular reason?"_

_"What? A girl can't be happy just because it's a beautiful Fall day and she gets to spend it flying with her two favorite guys?" _

_"Nope, I don't buy it," Hawke said as took a sip of the steaming liquid. _

_"Awww, don't listen to him, honey" Dom said with a dismissive wave of his hand in String's direction. "You be happy all you want. Goodness knows we could use a little happy around this place!" he added with a glance in Hawke's direction. _

_"I guess that's a dig at me huh, Dom?" Hawke retorted back. _

_"You know it wouldn't hurt for you to smile a little more, kid. Although you might want to be careful, your face might crack," Dom said with a smirk._

_"I'll see what I can do," Hawke respond. Turning his attention back to Cait, Hawke resumed his questioning. "So, c'mon Cait, what's really got you so chipper this morning?"_

_"Well, truth be told, there is a reason," she said with a smile. _

_"See, I told you, Dom," Hawke said. "So?"_

_"Okay, so you know that little Cessna 170B I've had my eye on, the yellow and red one that Joe Reynolds has over at his hangar?"  
_

_"Well of course we know, it's all you've been talking about since you found out he wanted to sell it," Dom said as he bit into an oozing raspberry pastry. _

_"Well, my loan approval came through and I'm going to the bank today at noon to sign the papers! By the end of the day I'll be the owner of my very own plane!" Caitlin said with a grin a mile wide. _

_"Oh, honey, that's great!" Dom said as he reached over and patted her on the shoulder. _

_"Yeah, Cait, that's great. It's a big expense though, you sure you can handle it on the peanuts that Dom pays us?" Hawke asked with a wink. _

_"Hey!" Dom said with a 'hmmph' as he glared at String._

_Laughing, Cait nodded her head. "Yeah, I'll be fine. You know I've been saving for a long time and I only had to get a loan for about half the cost so payments will be low and shouldn't take me too long to pay off."_

_Before anyone could say anything else the phone rang in the office. Dom turned and rolled his eyes. "Guess I better get that. We're going to have make sure the jobs keep coming in so I can keep you paying you those peanuts!" he said as he headed for the office ._

_"Hey Hawke, could you do me a favor?" Caitlin said as she turned back to the blue-eyed pilot._

_"Probably," he answered with a grin._

_"I was wondering if you could come with me to Joe's when I pick up the plane this afternoon. Dom said I could keep it here so I want to get it as soon as I get back from the bank but I want someone to go over it again with me…just to make sure it's all in good order. I trust Joe but honestly, I'm not as familiar with the Cessna engines as I am these choppers."_

_"Sure, I'll go with you," Hawke said as he came up and slid his arm around her waist. Leaning over he gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I really am happy for you, Cait," he said with a smile. "And me, too."  
_

_"You?" Caitlin asked with a puzzled look on her face. _

_"Yeah, because this means now that you've made this big purchase you won't be going anywhere for a while. I've grown accustomed to having you around."_

_"Hawke, I've been here for two years. What made you think I might be going somewhere?" _

_"No reason, I guess," he said as he took a step back and faced her head on. "Look, I just know that with everything that goes on around this place, Dom and I sometimes think we ask too much of you. Sometimes I wouldn't blame you if you'd had enough and wanted to move on to something a little less 'exciting'. I know there are times I'd like to do that myself."_

_"Yeah, I know what you mean but you know something, Hawke? I wouldn't change a thing that's happened since you showed up in Pope County. You and Dom have become family and as for the rest, well, what girl doesn't need a little excitement in her life?" she asked with a grin. _

_"Well you surely found that!" Hawke agreed. For a few seconds there was a strange tension in the air between the two of them. Cait could sense that Hawke wanted to say something further but he seemed almost….well, nervous. Very unusual for Stringfellow Hawke._

_Finally he broke the silence. "Cait, what you said about Dom and me being like family…I hope you know we feel the same about you. But…"_

_"But what?" Caitlin urged. Suddenly she was nervous wondering what Hawke was thinking. Was he actually trying to push her away and, if so, why?_

_Taking a glance back to the office to make sure that Dom was still busy, Hawke pulled his sunglasses out of his shirt pocket and put them on. Then slipping his arm back around Cait's waist he asked her to walk with him outside._

_Once they were out by the Steerman, Hawke leaned back against the antique plane so that he was facing Cailin and looped both hands around her waist, pulling her closer. "Caitlin, I've been wanting to talk to you for a while but I guess I just keep losing my nerve," he started. Caitlin opened her mouth to respond but Hawke gave her a quick shake of his head indicating that he just needed her to listen for a moment. _

_Reaching up he pulled his sunglasses off so that he could look into Cait's eyes. He needed her to really know that what he was about to say was sincere. "I think I know how you feel about me, Cait. I see it in the way that you look at me sometimes when you think I'm not looking or how you look when I'm with another woman. And then when everything happened with Horn, well, it wasn't too hard to tell how you felt."_

Caitlin's cheeks grew red and she hung her head in embarrassment. Cupping her chin in his hand, Hawke gently pulled her gaze back up to meet his. "No, Caitlin, it's okay. I just want you to know that I know what those looks mean because I find myself looking at you the same way. I just haven't acted on them because honestly I've been afraid that you would stay out of an obligation to me. I wouldn't want that. I needed to know that you were staying because you wanted to. Buying this plane shows me that you want to put down roots of some sort here, though. Am I wrong?"

_"No, String, you're not wrong…about any of it." Caitlin said quietly as she looked into those blue eyes. "But where does that leave us?"_

_"I don't know exactly," Hawke said with a sigh. "But I do know I'd really like to find out. It's up to you Caitlin, the last thing I would ever want to do is ruin the friendship that we have now. If you think that moving things to the next level would do that than I don't know if I'm willing to risk that. You mean too much to me."  
_

_"We've never been ones to shy away from risk," Caitlin said with a slight smile. _

_"That's true," Hawke returned with a smile of his own. "Look, why don't we just take things slow and natural? I don't want to force anything. All I know is that I have feelings for you that I can't continue to deny, no matter how much they scare the hell out of me. I've lost so much, I don't think I could take losing you, too."  
_

_Knowing that Hawke was subtly referring to his 'curse', Caitlin could understand his fears. "You'd never lose me, Hawke, no matter what. But I think you're right. Let's not rush it. I've waited two years to hear you say these things. I'm in no hurry and I'm not going anywhere. Anyways, I like the thought of getting to know each other all over again in a different, more intimate way."_

_"I was hoping you'd say that," Hawke said as he pulled her a little closer. "What do you say that after we get that plane back here this afternoon, we celebrate and you let me take you out to dinner?"  
_

_"And dancing?" Caitlin said with a gleam in her eye._

_Laughing, Hawke nodded his head. "You're not going to make this easy, are you?"_

_"Nope. As I said, I waited two years for you. You should have to work a little to make it up to me."_

_"I guess I deserved that. Okay, dinner and dancing it is," he said as he pulled her in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Wanting more but determined to keep his word to take it slow, Hawke pulled back. _

_"What about Dom?" Caitlin suddenly asked. _

_"Uhm, I don't think I want to dance with, Dom," Hawke replied dryly. _

_"No, silly," Caitlin said with a chuckle as she gave Hawke a playful swat on his arm. "I mean, he'll want to celebrate, too. I hate to leave him out of this. After all, he was the one who told me about the Cessna to begin with."_

_"Don't you worry about me, kids," Dom said as he walked towards them from the hangar, a wide grin covering his face. _

_"Dom! How long have you been there?" Caitlin asked, her cheeks once again turning red. _

_"Just long enough to know I like what I see. String, it's about time you came to your senses and asked our girl out. I'm not about to get in your way, now! You two go out and have fun. There'll be time enough to include me later."_

_"Thanks," Hawke said simply as he nodded his appreciation to the older man. _

_"Now, if you two are done with all of this googly-eyed stuff, we still have work to do," Dom said, putting his hands on his hips. "We have a lot to do around here before Cait has to go to the bank at lunch. Quit wasting time!"_

_Pushing himself off the plane, Hawke put his sunglasses back on. "C'mon Caitlin, you heard the man. Time to go earn our peanuts," he teased as he and Cait walked arm in arm back to the hangar, Dom smiling after them. _

_TBC…_

_A/N: Next chapter the action/angst/drama begins. __ Let's hope the muse can get her butt in gear and get this one going faster than this first chapter which took me two days to get right! Ugh! _

_A/N: Just some info on the Cessna 170B. Although it may sound unreasonable for Cait to buy her own plane, this is a small 4-seater. I was lucky enough to take a flying lesson in one for my birthday this year, about three weeks ago. You can buy a used one today for around $30,000-$40,000 and I know that back around 1985 they were much less expensive than that. So for Cait, buying such a plane would kind of be like buying an expensive car or even a payment on a house. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only. _

**For The Love of Money**

**Chapter 2**

Cait was humming to herself as she walked into the First Central Bank, ten minutes early for her noon appointment. She couldn't believe how good her life was at the moment. She was about to be the proud owner of her very own Cessna plane AND Stringfellow Hawke had actually confessed that he had feelings for her. She couldn't imagine anything that could ruin this day, it was definitely going to be one to remember.

Cait took a seat in the waiting area of the bank and absently thumbed through a magazine. Dom and Hawke had offered to come with her but she wanted to do this on her own. She promised them that she'd stop on the way back to the hangar and bring back something special for lunch to celebrate with.

"Ms. O'Shannessy?" a teller said as she motioned for Caitlin to follow her. "Mr. Breckenridge is ready for you." Caitlin followed the young lady to a set of glass-fronted offices at the back the bank where she was directed into the loan manager's office.

Holding out her hand to the grey-haired, bespectacled man across the desk, Caitlin greeted the bank official. "Ms. O'Shannessy, so glad we could do this for you," he said with a smile as he motioned for her to take a seat. "Are you sure you're ready to sign?"

"Oh, yes!" Caitlin said with excitement as Breckenridge shuffled a stack of papers and then pushed them across the desk in front of her.

"So you really want to buy a plane, huh?" the bank official asked as he eyed the young, fresh-faced woman across from him. "I knew you flew helicopters but I didn't realize that you were licensed to fly other aircraft too."

"Sure, I'm multi-engine rated and have my instrument license as well so I can fly at night and can fly just about anything except those big commercial airliners," Caitlin explained.

"Well, that's fascinating," he commented with a friendly smile. "Ms. O'Shannessy, if you'll just read through the loan papers and make sure everything is correct, I'm going to pull some other paperwork we'll need and be right back."

"Sure," Caitlin agreed as Breckenridge came out from behind his desk and headed down a nearby hallway. Once he was out of sight of the main bank lobby, he did a quick check to make sure that there was no one around and ducked into a doorway that led into a conference room. Closing and locking the door behind him, Breckenridge picked up a phone that was in the middle of the table and quickly dialed a number.

_"It's me,"_ he said as soon as someone picked up on the other end_. __"It's a go. She's confirmed that she can fly just about anything and she should be able to get us out of here once the police meet our demands of a plane… Don't worry, they'll meet them. We'll have a bank full of hostages and if you do your job and secure all of the possible entrances I showed you on the blueprints, they'll have no other way to get us out…Hit the building in exactly 10 minutes…The vault will be open…..Yeah, she'll cooperate, she won't have much choice with a gun to her head…Look, you just worry about your job. If you don't screw things up, in a few short hours we'll all be basking in the sun on some remote island, richer than you've ever imagined. And maybe if the girl doesn't do something stupid and get herself killed, I'll give you a bonus and let you have her, too. Now, get moving!" _Breckenridge hung up the phone with a smug look on his face. In a very short time he would be rich, famous and after 20 years of working a crappy, dead-end job, no one would ever be able to boss him around again.

_**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**_

"Dom, what time is it?" Hawke asked as he glanced out to the parking lot of the hangar from where he was working on the top rotor of the Hughes 500 aircraft.

"About 5 minutes after the last time you asked me," Dom said with exasperation as he looked up at the younger man from the cockpit where'd he been performing routine maintenance. "Look, String, you know these things can take time. There's a lot of paperwork to sign and stuff."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just thought she'd be back by now," Hawke said.

"Ahhhh, you're just anxious to see her now that you've finally pulled your head out of your backside and told her how you feel. Young love, it's so impatient," Dom said with a grin as he ducked away from the greasy rag that Hawke threw at him.

"Funny, Dom," Hawke responded sarcastically as he went back to work.

For the next 10 minutes the two worked quietly, the only sounds filling the hangar being the clanking of tools and the radio that played softly in the background.

"Hey, Dom!" Hawke suddenly yelled from the top of the ladder he was working from. "Turn up the radio."

"Aww, c'mon kid, I've got my hands full down here," Dom responded back.

"No, Dom, I mean it. Turn it up now!" Hawke demanded. Hearing the urgency of Hawke's voice, Dom immediately stepped out of the chopper and walked over to the radio on the workbench. Turning it up, both men listened intently to a news bulletin that was coming across the airwaves…

_'Police are confirming that 20 minutes ago the First Central Bank downtown was hit by a group of bank robbers who have taken as many as two dozen hostages at gunpoint. Several gunshots have already been heard coming from inside the bank and witnesses say they could hear people screaming. We have been so far unable to determine whether anyone has actually been shot. Unidentified sources tell us that the gunmen have made demands for a plane or a helicopter to be delivered within two hours. If it's not, then they claim they will start shooting a hostage every 15 minutes after that until they get what they want. Stay tuned to KRVN for all the latest updates."_

_"_Mamma Mia!" Dom exclaimed as Hawke rapidly descended the ladder.

"Bank robberies are federal matters," Hawke said as he headed into the office. "That means Michael could very well be involved in the negotiations. I'm going to call and see what the hell's going on and tell him if they need a pilot, they've got one!"

"And I'll get a chopper ready to go," Dom said as he started to head out towards the Sikorsky. A few steps out, he turned back towards Hawke. "Don't worry kid, she'll be fine. She's proven she can take care of herself in these situations."

"I know, Dom," Hawke agreed. "But that doesn't mean we have to sit idly by and just wait."

_TBC….._


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only. _

**For The Love of Money**

**Chapter 3**

Caitlin stared in disbelief down the wrong end of a sawed off shotgun with Sam Breckenridge at the other end of it. It had all happened so fast, for the first few minutes she wasn't even sure what was going on. One second she was signing her name to loan papers, the next there was gunfire and screaming and several masked and heavily armed men had taken over the bank lobby. By the time she had looked up, Breckenridge had pulled the shotgun out from under his desk and was pointing it right in her face.

"What the….?" She started to say when Breckenridge cut her off and ordered her out of her chair.

"As you can see, Ms. O'Shannessy, we won't be processing any loans for you today," he said as he used the barrel of the gun to poke her in the back and prod her out of the office towards the lobby. "But don't worry, you'll still get to take one last flight."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Caitlin asked as she was directed out towards the lobby. Her police training automatically kicking into gear, Caitlin took a quick look around the bank to assess the situation. She counted at least a half a dozen armed men holding automatic weapons on groups of hostages. Another armed man was quickly running from window to window closing all of the blinds so no one could see in.

On first glance, she estimated about 20 hostages including bank employees and customers…women and small children among them. Looking towards the main entrance she immediately saw the guard on the floor. There was no question that he was dead from the amount of blood that had spilled out of his chest.

Almost tumbling forward as Breckenridge gave her another shove from behind, Caitlin was quickly grabbed on each side by two of the armed man and forced down into a chair in the middle of the lobby. Her hands were handcuffed behind her back while the cuffs were looped around a rung on the back of the chair and her legs were bound together at the ankles.

Coming to stand directly in front of her, Breckenridge handed his shotgun to one of his men and leaned down so that one hand was on each arm of the chair effectively trapping Caitlin. "Now here's what's about to happen Ms. O'Shannessy and I suggest you listen up. Right now, my men are emptying out the bank vault. By the time they are done I'm sure that the police will have their little negotiating team out in full force trying to figure out how to get out of this situation. When they call, I'm going to ask for a helicopter or small plane and safe passage for me and my men and, of course, you to that plane. Once aboard, you are going to fly us wherever we tell you. Of course, I'm sure you realize this is going to be a one-way trip for you."

Struggling hopelessly against her restraints, Caitlin met Breckenridge's stare. "You'll never get away with this," she spat at him. "What makes you think that I'm going to fly you anywhere?"

Nodding to one of his men, Breckenridge just smiled. A few seconds later, Caitlin saw a young girl, probably about 8 or 9 years old, being dragged kicking and screaming over towards them. "Shut her up!" Breckenridge growled at the man that had the child who quickly clapped a hand over the young girls mouth. Caitlin could hear the child's mother sobbing in the background.

"THIS is what makes me think you are going to do anything I ask!" Breckenridge said. "You refuse or make one suspicious move and I'll start shooting hostages, starting with this sniveling little brat right here. Got it?"

"You wouldn't dare," Caitlin said, her voice starting to quiver as she looked at the terror in the little girl's eyes.

"Try me," Breckenridge said, never blinking. Caitlin couldn't help but believe him. She had never seen such a cold look in anybody else's eyes before.

"Fine, I'll do what you ask. Just let her go. Please!" Caitlin said in defeat as she hung her head.

Breckenridge signaled for his man to take the little girl back to her mother as Cait let go a breath she hadn't even known she was holding.

"How long have you been planning this?" she finally asked the loan officer realizing that she wasn't at this bank at this time by coincidence.

"Since you're first application three weeks ago," Breckenridge said with a smug grin. "I tell you, I couldn't believe my luck when a certified pilot such as yourself showed up in my office. It was the final piece of the puzzle I needed for my plan to come together."

"But why?" Caitlin knew it was ridiculous to ask but she just couldn't seem to help herself.

"Why for love of course, my dear…the love of money that is." Breckenridge said with an evil grin. "I've worked for this damn bank for over 20 years, given them my loyalty and my time and what have I gotten in return? A mere pittance! Every day I sit and I watch all of the money this bank takes in and I can tell you a large part of that is due to my hard work. Well now I'm just going to take what's rightfully mine." Turning to one of his men he instructed them to gag Caitlin and to keep a gun on her at all times. "Now we wait," he told the others.

_TBC…_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only. _

**For The Love of Money**

**Chapter 4**

"Michael!" Hawke called out as he and Dom approached the yellow police tape marking off the edge of the crime scene. Turning from his position at the command post, the spy motioned to the officer guarding the restricted area to allow both Dom and Hawke through.

"You made good time," Michael said to the two pilots as they approached.

"Yeah, we brought the Sikorsky. She's fueled and ready to go and as I told you on the phone, I'm ready to fly them wherever they want to go," Hawke informed him.

"Yeah, well about that…" Michael said somewhat nervously as he stroked his mustache.

"What?" Dom prodded.

Before he could explain any further a man wearing slacks, a white dress shirt and a loosened tie around his neck approached Michael from the command post truck. "Who are these men?" he inquired of the spy with a stern look on his face.

"Captain Stan Miller, this is Dominic Santini and Stringfellow Hawke, the two pilots I told you about," Michael said making the introductions. "They also have the co-worker inside the bank."

"Ah, yes, Archangel said you may be able to help us out," the apparently frazzled police Captain replied as he shook each of their hands. "Did you bring us a chopper?"

"Yes, sir," Dom replied. "We've got a Sikorsky S-76 we use for charters. Should be able to get about a dozen people in it, if needed."

"I'll be piloting," Hawke informed him. "Just tell me how you want the pickup done." On the trip over, Hawke and Dom had discussed options of which one would be the best to pilot the gunmen and any hostages. Hawke quickly claimed the duty saying that he would want Dom following in Airwolf which had also been brought to an undisclosed nearby location that Dom could get to shortly.

Captain Miller looked at Michael in confusion when Hawke was finished. "You didn't tell them?"

"Tell us what, Michael?" Hawke asked sensing things were getting ready to go from bad to worse.

"If everyone would give me a chance, I'll explain everything," Michael said with frustration. "Let's go over here behind the truck so we can talk a little more privately," he suggested as he led the three other men to a less-public area. Turning back to the pilots, Michael continued. "Okay, just before you arrived a few minutes ago, we had contact with one of the men inside…a Sam Breckenridge. He's apparently the ring-leader and an employee of the bank from what we've learned. The loan manager to be exact."

"Wait a minute!" Dom exclaimed. "That's the name of the guy Caitlin was going to see."

"Yes, apparently so," Michael confirmed. "Anyways, Mr. Breckenridge contacted us and demanded that any aircraft we sent be landed on the roof of the bank and then left unattended. He says anyone found within 100 feet of the aircraft when they board will be systematically eliminated along with at least one hostage for each person they saw, his words exactly. Evidently they don't have need for a pilot since they have a perfectly good one inside."

"Caitlin," Hawke growled as he realized what Michael was telling him. "Dammit! There was never going to be a loan for her was there, Michael? This was just all part of an elaborate plan to provide them a pilot!"

"That's what we figure. I'm sorry, Hawke."

"Mother of God," Dom exclaimed under his breath. "What do we do? Even if we follow them in Air…" Dom glanced towards the police captain warily before continuing…"uh, in that military aircraft you told us to bring… once they take off, there's no way we can shoot them down. Not with Caitlin aboard!"

"And chances are they'll kill her as soon as they get wherever they're going," Hawke added.

"Unfortunately, that's the way we see it, too," Michael agreed. "At least we can be pretty sure she's alive and unharmed for now. They need her to fly them out of here so maybe that'll give us some time."

"Speaking of which, how much longer do we have on the time limit they gave to get the chopper to them before they start shooting hostages?" Hawke asked.

Looking down at his watch, Captain Miller gave them the bad news. "As of right now, about 53 minutes."

"There's something else you should know about that as well," Michael said as he adjusted his glasses. "He's got at least two children under the age of ten in there and he's made it clear that they'd be the first to go."

"Mamma Mia!" Dom said. "You think he'd really do it, Michael?"

"I don't know, Dominic, but it's not a chance I'm willing to take. Are you?"

"What about going in before they leave?" Hawke asked.

"No way," Captain Miller said. "This guy's intimately familiar with the building. He's got all viable entrances guarded. We try to storm that building in any way and it'll be a bloodbath before we get within 25 yards of the place."

"Dammit!" Hawke yelled between clenched teeth, his rage clearly visable. "There's got to be something we're missing!" Hawke yelled angrily. "I'm not just going to let them take Caitlin out of here just so they can kill her. You've got all of this damn equipment and personnel, Michael, DO SOMETHING!" he yelled as he got right in the spy's face.

"String!" Dom yelled as he grabbed the younger man by the shoulders and pulled him back. "This isn't Archangel's fault. You've got to calm down. It's not going to do anybody any good to lose it."

Looking at Dom, Hawke shrugged out of the older man's grip and nodded begrudgingly. Turning around he walked off a few steps and took a deep breath to gather himself. After a minute or so, Hawke had regained his composure. "Look, I'm sorry Michael but there's something we're just not seeing here. Maybe we're looking at it from the wrong angle."

"What do you mean, kid?" Dom asked.

"Well we keep thinking about what WE can do to help Caitlin. What if we give Caitlin something that she can use to help US?" Hawke asked.

"Like what?" Captain Miller asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Hawke asked as he looked at Dom. "C'mon, let's go back and take a look at that Sikorsky, see if there's something we can do. I have an idea but I'm not sure we have the time or equipment to set it up."

"Hawke, time is short. If you've got something I need to know in 30 minutes," Michael informed him.

"Michael, if I've got something, you'll know in fifteen," he said as he headed out towards the helicopter.

_TBC…._

_A/N: Third chapter of the day! The muse is in high gear. Can't guarantee I'll get another one up before the weekend's over but I'll do the best I can. _


	5. Chapter 5

**For the Love of Money**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_.

**Chapter 5**

Breckenridge hung up the phone with a smile on his face. "Ha! I told you! We've got a chopper getting ready to land on the roof in 10 minutes! " Turning towards his men, he started shouting out orders. "Grant, get the money packed up and ready to go. Harris and Lockhart, take your group with the kids and get them ready for transport. They're coming with us. The rest of you, lock the other hostages in the vault and wait for us. If anyone makes a false move, kill them!"

Once his men were in motion, Breckenridge walked over to Caitlin. Rubbing the barrel of his gun menacingly against her cheek, he bent down close to talk to her. "Okay, Ms. O'Shannessy, we're getting ready to get out of here. Now I don't want you getting any funny ideas in your head. I'm going to have Watts here untie your ankles and take your gag off. Then we're going to get those handcuffs off and we're going to walk nice and calmly up the stairs to the roof and out to the helicopter. All you need to remember is that if I see you making one funny move or screaming to anybody or doing anything I don't like, my men will have their weapons trained on that brat over there and they'll kill her as soon as I give the order. You understand me?" Glancing over at the little girl that was huddled against her trembling mother, Caitlin looked back up at Breckenridge and nodded her acceptance.

By the time Breckenridge's orders had been carried out and Caitlin was untied, the group could hear the rumble of a helicopter landing on the roof. Giving it a few more minutes for the pilot to get off the top of the building, Caitlin was then pushed forward toward the stairwell door. She didn't make it very far before hearing the unmistakable sound of silenced gunshots behind her along with accompanying screams from the remaining hostages. Turning around Caitlin was surprised to see the man named Grant and four other of Breckenridge's partners laying dead on the floor with the deranged loan officer laughing over their bodies holding a pistol she hadn't even known he had. "That's better. I can't believe they were ever dumb enough to think I'd split the money nine ways," he said.

Walking back towards the stairwell, Breckenridge positioned himself squarely in the middle of the group, effectively shielding himself with innocent hostages and Caitlin from any sniper fire the police may have thought of attempting. All in all, they were now a ten member group: Caitlin, the four gunman - Watts, Harris, Lockhart and Breckenridge (each carrying a weapon and a briefcase full of money and/or precious metals), and five hostages including the two children. In one huddled mass they climbed the steps and opened the door to the roof. As the door opened and the group could see the helicopter before them, Caitlin had to keep herself from smiling. She'd recognize that Sikorsky machine anywhere. It was the one Dom used for charters. That could only mean that Dom, Hawke and The Lady must be somewhere nearby.

Approaching the helicopter the hostages were ordered into the back while Caitlin climbed into the pilot's position with Breckenridge taking the co-pilot's seat. Putting on her headset she motioned for Breckenridge to do the same. Studying the complicated looking cockpit panel in front of him, Breckenridge looked dubiously over at Caitlin. "You sure you can fly this thing?" he asked her.

"Piece of cake," she said with a smug smile as she started hitting switches to get the engine and rotors going. "I've flown one just like this hundreds of time." Caitlin was suddenly feeling calmer as she herself studied the familiar switches and dials in front of her. One section of the dash in particular piqued her interest. Looking in the far lower right-hand corner of her readout, Cait knew that Hawke had left her inconspicuous instructions on what he needed her to do. Now she could only hope the plan would work.

_TBC..._

_Sorry for the tease but I didn't want to advance the story too far before getting back to Dom and Hawke in the next chapter. I'll try to get another one up this weekend but weekends are always the hardest for me in which to write. Thanks for the reviews and favorites so far!_

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	6. Chapter 6

**For the Love of Money**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_.

_A/N: Fair warning...lots of poetic license taken in the next couple of chapters since I really have no idea how any of this helicopter stuff works. Please don't take any of the technical stuff too literally...I'm kind of making it up as I go along :) _

**Chapter 6**

"So you think it's going to work?" Michael asked.

"I don't know, but it's the only option we've got at the moment," Dominic said as he zipped up his flight suit. Looking up they both watched as Hawke landed the Sikorsky on the bank roof. Once landed, he would make sure the helicopter was set for Cait and then meet Dom back at Airwolf so they could follow her once she took off.

"I don't like it," Michael said as he nervously stroked his mustache. "What if Caitlin doesn't pick up on the plan or, God forbid, Breckenridge or one of his men figure out what she's up to?"

"You got a better idea, Archangel?" Dom challenged as he turned towards the spy, his hands on his hips. "You know as well as I do that if he gets Cait and those hostages across that border, they're all be as good as dead. If she's going to have a chance, she'll have to pull this off before they reach Mexico."

Looking at Dom, Michael just sighed knowing that the older man was right. It was up to Cait now. Training a pair of binoculars back towards the roof, he could see Hawke climbing out of the chopper. "You better get back to Airwolf. Looks like Hawke is almost done. Take care, Dominic. I'll be monitoring."

Nodding his head at the spy, Dominic turned and headed to meet Hawke.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

"I've asked for a clear flight plan to Mexico. You better hope they've gotten it taken care of. If I see one suspicious plane along the way, I'll start getting rid of hostages," Breckenridge told Cait as he pointed the pistol he had shot his partners with towards her.

"According to the pre-set flight path, it looks like you've gotten everything you asked for," Caitlin said as she readied the helicopter for takeoff from the roof. _"That and more," _she thought to herself as she glanced over at the green light that was illuminated on the right hand corner of her cockpit. The green light was right next to a toggle switch that during a normal charter flight would be useless. However with the stunt work that Santini Air did on the side, all of their helicopters had been retrofitted with extra equipment that would allow them to perform those stunts. The illuminated green light indicated that the function of that toggle switch was fully armed and ready to go.

Looking at the auto-pilot and the flight path that had been set, Caitlin also noticed something that only a trained pilot would detect. Along the route, a location had been marked. Caitlin had to assume that this was where Hawke and Dom had planned for her to carry out the plan. _"Now, if I can just make it all believable," _she thought to herself. Perhaps those acting classes she had been taking would finally come in handy.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

As soon as the helicopter lifted off from the bank, Michael had his team on the ground join with the police on going in and clearing the rest of the bank building. To their relief they rescued about a dozen unharmed hostages from the bank vault but were appalled to find the guard as well as five of Breckenridge's associates dead. From the reports of the hostages, it didn't take them long to figure out that Breckenridge had turned on his own. They also realized the he must still have the two children with him as hostages.

As soon as he received report from Captain Miller, Michael was on the radio to Airwolf. "Hawke, Dominic...they've still got the kids with them and you should know we found six dead bodies inside the bank including the guard. Breckenridge has turned on his own. That probably means he won't hesitate to eliminate anybody else either."

"Any word on Caitlin?" Hawke asked immediately.

"According to the other hostages, she's fine. Evidently Breckenridge kept her bound and gagged while waiting on the helicopter but didn't harm her in any way. She should be fine, Hawke. He needs her healthy at least long enough to get that chopper into Mexico."

"Okay, Michael," Hawke acknowledged with a sigh of relief as Dom silently made the sign of the cross behind him. They had figured as much but the confirmation helped. They were still a long way from getting her home safe but at least she was fine for now. One step at a time. "We're following as close as we can. We'll let you know when things are done, one way or the other. Hawke, out."

"String, if anything goes wrong we're going to lose Cait and have a couple of dead kids on our hands!" Dom exclaimed from his seat at the engineering console as soon as the radio connection had been cut.

"Then we just have to trust Cait to pull this off," Hawke said matter of factly. "She's proven to us before that she can handle a tricky situation, she can do it again."

"Oh, Caitlin I trust," Dom replied. "It's Breckenridge that scares me."

"Me too, Dom...me too," Hawke replied under his breath.

_TBC..._

_A/N: next chapter the plan will unfold...don't go away :) _

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	7. Chapter 7

**For the Love of Money**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_.

**Chapter 7**

"How long will it take us to get to our destination in Mexico?" Breckenridge asked Caitlin impatiently about 20 minutes after takeoff.

"According to the flight plan, about 2 and a half hours," Caitlin answered. _"Although our flight will be considerably shorter than that,"_ she thought to herself. Taking another glance at her maps, Caitlin figured it would be about another 10 minutes before she could put the plan in motion. So far the other hostages had been fairly calm and the mothers of the two kids had been able to keep them from panicking. Caitlin hoped it stayed that way. She would have her hands full enough in a few minutes.

"What are you going to do with us once we get there?" Caitlin asked hoping to keep her captor preoccupied.

"I haven't decided yet," he answered with a smirk. "Those kids back there may come in handy for a little while longer just in case your friends at The FIRM have made some kind of deal with the Mexican Federales and are thinking of setting a trap."

"You're a sick man, Breckenridge," Caitlin said with disdain. "I'll make you a deal. You let those kids and the other others go and I'll come with you if you need a hostage."

Looking over at her with a hungry look, Breckenridge smiled an evil grin. "Well now, you're in no position to be making deals but that's a tempting offer. You just get us there first and then we'll talk more about what you can do to convince me to let the others go." Caitlin's stomach rolled at the thought of him touching her.

For the next few minutes they flew in silence. Taking one last look at her location and heading, Caitlin knew it was time to get things started. Reaching a little to her left, she inconspicuously ran her hand over an emergency kill switch button that would cause the tail rotor to shut off. Quickly flipping the switch one way then the other causing the rotor to turn off then back on, it caused a huge jerking motion to occur in the back end of the chopper. Taking the opportunity of the turbulence to hide her motion, she leaned to the right and flipped the toggle switch next to the green light which released a large amount of ominous black smoke out of the back end of the aircraft. Caitlin knew of course it was just an effect often used in stunts but it looked authentic enough to be convincing to the untrained eye.

"What the hell!" Breckenridge screamed as the chopper started to dive and jerk violently in the sky.

"Dammit!" Caitlin yelled as she appeared to frantically try to regain control of the helicopter. "A bird must have flown into the tail rotor! Hang on!"

Looking out his window, Breckenridge could see the trail of smoke behind them. "Do something!" he screamed. "I order you to get this helicopter under control or I'll shoot you!" he said irrationally as he put his gun against Caitlin's temple.

"What the hell do you think I'm doing?" Caitlin said as she kept the machine in a controlled dive. In the back, the adult hostages were screaming and the kids were crying. Caitlin felt bad for frightening them so much but she knew she had no choice. "Shoot me, Breckenridge, and we'll all go down in flames and you won't have any need for your precious money."

"Well, just do something!" he screamed in a panic.

It was the opening Caitilin was looking for. "I'm going to take her down. There's an open field about 2 miles north. It'll be bumpy but I think I can put her down safely."

"No way!" he shouted back at her. "I'm not letting you put us down on American soil. Get us across the border!"

"It's not going to happen!" Cait told him as she caused the helicopter jerk violently to one side to emphasize her point. "Let me put her down and I should be able to repair her in an hour and then I can take you wherever the hell you want. It's either that or we all die here and now!" Caitlin prayed that her bluff would work.

"Fine! Put it down but you try to run or anyone else shows up and I'll kill all of them in the back...you got it!?"

"Yeah, I got it." Caitlin said as she started her prep for what would appear to be a controlled crash landing. _"Okay, Hawke and Dom, I've done my part," _she thought to herself, _"let's hope you've been able to follow in The Lady and get here in time to help me out on the ground!"_

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

"She's started the dive!" Dom announced to Hawke as he monitored Cait's movements on their radar. "Adding that smoke cannister was a stroke of genius, String. It'll sure make any faked mechanical problem look more convincing!"

"Yeah, let's just hope it's convincing enough," Hawke said turned towards the heading Dom sent him. "Let me know as soon as they touch down. It's not going to take long for Breckenridge and the others to realize it was all a bluff once they get out and see there's no damage to the chopper. I don't want them to get that chance."

"You got it!" Dom replied. For the next five minutes, Dom and Hawke rode in a tense silence as Dom monitored Caitlin's movements. Finally it was time for them to move in. "Okay, String, looks like Cait should have them down in about 30 seconds. Let's go give her a hand."

"Go ahead and get the chain guns ready," Hawke ordered as he took The Lady into position.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

Cait pulled out all of her best piloting and acting skills to bring down the Sikorsky in what appeared to be a harrowing, bumpy and impressive crash landing. She wanted it to be a hard enough landing to feel real, yet she needed to do her best to make sure that no one got hurt at the same time. As soon as they were on the ground she turned to Breckenridge. She knew she needed to do something to get the thieves away from the hostages. "We need to get everyone out of the chopper. There may be damage to the gas tanks and if they're leaking this whole thing could go up in flames!"

From the back, the man that Caitlin had come to know as Watts spoke up. "We've got to the money out! If it goes up, this is all for nothing!"

"Don't leave those hostages!" Breckenridge screamed back at him.

"Hey, we're in the middle of nowhere," Cait said quickly. "They're not going anwhere. I'll take the others over by that tree over there. You get the money. It's not like we can go for help out here."

Looking around, Breckenridge saw that they were indeed in a wide open field with nothing else in sight. "Fine, get 'em out of here. But you know what happens if you try anything."

"Yeah, I know, you'll kill us. Now we've got to get moving unless you all want to take the chance of burning up!"

Unhooking her seat belt, Caitlin quickly jumped out of the pilot's seat and went to the back of the chopper. Helping the hostages jump down she then led them about 100 yards away from the helicopter. At the same time, she heard the most welcoming sound she'd ever heard in her life...Airwolf's engines screaming down out of the sky.

"What's that?" one of the kids asked as she pointed up at the menacing black aircraft.

"That's my friends, coming to save us !" Caitlin said back with a smile.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA**

"Thattagirl, Cait!" Dom exclaimed as they swooped down over the field and he could see the smoking helicopter safely on the ground.

"Where is everybody, Dom?" Hawke demanded to know as he closed in.

Tapping some buttons on his console, Dom took a second to locate all of the passengers. "I don't know how she did it String but Cait's got all the hostages separated off to the side. Looks like Breckenridge and his men are still on the chopper."

"Probably loading up their precious money," Hawke said. "Too bad they won't be needing it."

Turning on the speaker system, Hawke shouted down direction to Cait. "Cait, get those people under some kind cover! I'm going in."

Just as Hawke turned Airwolf around so that his nose was facing the Sikorsky, he saw Breckenridge and his men climb out with guns drawn and aimed at the large black helicopter.

"Seriously, Breckenridge?" Hawke said through the speaker system. "It's no contest. Put down your weapons and drop to the ground."

"No way!" the bank robber shouted back. Instructing his men to each pick up one of heavy money bags as he did the same himself, Breckenridge took off running in the direction of Caitlin and the others.

"Wrong decision, Sam," Hawke announced as he trained the chain guns in their direction. "Last chance, stop where you are or I'll have no choice."

Hawke just shook his head as he watched Breckenridge and his men continue to run. Pulling down his helmet visor, he aimed in on the men and put down a line of chain gun fire, quickly eliminating the threat and killing all four men.

"Good job, kid," Dom said. "Now let's go get our girl."

"I'm already on it," Hawke said as he brought Airwolf softly to the ground.

_TBC..._

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	8. Chapter 8

**For the Love of Money**

_A/N: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only_.

**Chapter 8**

"Dom, contact Michael and tell him to come clean up this mess," Hawke ordered as Airwolf touched down.

"You got it, kid," Dom agreed as Hawke was out of Airwolf even before the rotors had wound down. Running to the edge of the field he found Caitlin huddled with the rest of the hostages, the youngest little girl in her arms. "Caitlin!" he said as he looked at her, trying to determine if she had made it through her ordeal unscathed. Standing, Caitlin put the little girl back into her mother's arms and ran to Hawke.

"Hawke! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!" she said as she let herself be wrapped in his arms.

"Me too, Cait," He said as he held her and kissed the top of her head. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. For a few minutes Hawke just stood holding her until one of the women that had been a hostage walked up to the couple.

"Excuse me," she said shyly as Hawke and Caitlin turned to look at her, Hawke keeping one arm protectively around Cait's shoulder. "I just wanted to thank you Ms. O'Shannessy. You were very brave to do what you did and we all know that if it wasn't for you, we'd probably all be dead."

"Oh I don't know about that," Caitlin said with embarrassment .

"No, really. My little girl, Jessica, she's calling you a hero and I think she's right. Anyways, I know there's no way we can ever repay you for what you did but I just wanted you to know that we'll all be forever grateful."

"I'm just glad everybody's okay," Caitlin said with a self-conscious smile and dropped her glance to the ground.

As the woman walked back to the group, Hawke lifted Cait's chin with his hand and looked in her eyes. "She's right, you know. You're a hero. I'm proud of you, Cait."

"I'm no hero, Hawke. You came up with the plan, I just did what needed to be done."

"I don't know, you sure look like a hero to me!," Dom said as he walked up behind them. "Sorry, didn't mean to eavesdrop but they're right, Cait, you did some impressive flying there."

"Oh would you two cut it out," Caitlin said trying to change the subject. "I see Michael's team pulling in. What do you say we let him take over and we just go home?"

Looking at Caitlin with a slight bit of concern, Hawke nodded his head. "Okay, Cait, let's go."

"You two kids go on, put The Lady to bed. I'll stay and get the Sikorsky back to the hangar," Dom said.

"Sounds good," Hawke agreed. "Why dont' you meet us up at the cabin in the morning? I think Cait could use some time to recuperate from today." Dom nodded, watching the two walk back to Airwolf. He was happy to see that Caitlin was physically okay but he sensed there may be more going on. A little alone time with Hawke may be just what she needed.

**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**

On the trip back to the Lair, Caitlin was unusually quiet. She would answer if Hawke spoke to her but to Hawke her conversation sounded forced so after a few attempts he decided the trip would be better done in silence. She'd been through a lot, maybe she just needed time to process the day's events internally. Hawke, of all people, could appreciate that.

Finally touching down in The Lair, Hawke got out of Airwolf and was surprised when he turned around and realized that Caitlin hadn't moved from the cockpit. Walking around the nose of the helicopter, Hawke opened up the co-pilot's door. He wasn't prepared for the sight he saw. Caitlin had removed her helmet and he could see what he had been unable to witness in-flight...there were tears streaking her face and she was actually shaking.

"Caitlin?" he asked gently as he climbed up into the cockpit so that he was facing her. Caitlin just stared straight ahead as if she was looking right through him, soft sobs escaping from her. Reaching out, Hawke took her lightly by the shoulders, dismayed when she jumped and gasped at his touch.

"Caitlin, look at me, baby. It's me, Hawke. Talk to me." He said with a little more force to try and get her attention.

Something must have gotten through as she brought her eyes up to meet his. "Hawke?"

"Hey there," he said with a smile.

"It's over?" was all she said as she looked around taking in her surroundings.

"Yeah, baby, it's over. Don't you remember bringing down the helicopter? You did good, Caitlin" he said as he gently stroked some tears from her cheeks.

Suddenly the soft sobs turned into a full-blown break down as the events of the day came rushing back to Caitlin. Leaning forward, Hawke pulled Cait into his embrace and just held her as she cried. After a good 10 minutes, he could feel her starting to calm down and pushed back a little so he could look in her eyes. "Feeling better?"

Nodding, Caitlin wiped her eyes. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I don't know what just happened."

"Hey, you don't have to apologize. You did a hell of a job today and a lot of people owe their lives to you. I'm so proud of you."

"Really?" Caitlin asked increduously.

"Yes, really," Hawke answered. "Look, why don't we get out of here? If I remember correctly, I still owe you a date. How do you feel about letting me cook you some dinner at the cabin? It's not exactly what we planned but I don't want you going back to your apartment alone tonight."

"I'd like that," Caitlin said with a smile and Hawke was relieved to see a little of the old Caitlin returning.

Three hours later, they had finished a light dinner of broiled fish and steamed veggies and were drinking glasses of wine in front of the fireplace at the cabin. Not many words were being spoken as Hawke knew that Caitlin would just have to work out a lot of things on her own but he was sure to never be far from her side and physical contact of one sort or another had barely been broken between the two all evening, even if it was just an arm around a shoulder or holding hands. More than anything, Caitlin was craving the safety and security she could only seem to find from Hawke's touch.

"Hey, I seem to remember that I promised you something else tonight, too," Hawke said as he finished his glass of wine.

"What's that?" Caitlin asked as Hawke rose from the couch and took her hand, encouraging him to follow her. Heading over to the shelf, Hawke turned on the stereo and adjusted the station until he found just what he wanted. The sound of Frank Sinatra singing "The Way You Look Tonight" filled the air as Hawke led Caitlin into the middle of the floor and pulled her tightly into his arms where they danced for the next thirty minutes.

"Thank you," Caitlin whispered into Hawke's ear as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Stopping, Hawke pushed away just enough to look her in the eyes. "I should be thanking you," he said.

"For what?"

"For staying, for waiting all this time for me to come to my senses...for being you," he said with a smile. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Caitlin O'Shannessy. Today has made me realize that I don't want to go through life without you by my side any more and I can't let something like my stupid curse get in the way of that again. You're an amazing woman and I'd be a fool to let you go because of some superstition that you've proven wrong over and over again."

"Well it sounds like today has brought us both to some realizations," Caitlin said. "I could have never made it through tonight without you, String. I know we were going to take things slow but what I really need right now is for you to hold me in your arms. Please don't let me go, not tonight."

Knowing exactly what she meant, Hawke leaned down and kissed her passionately. Without another word he picked her up and carried to the loft where they spent the night exploring their new-found love.

**The End (almost)**

_A/N; I do have a little epilogue for this story, something to round out the whole thing so I'll try to get that up in the next day or so. _

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	9. Epilogue

_Disclaimer: I do not own or make any profit off of the Airwolf name or any of the characters involved within. My stories are for entertainment purposes only. _

_**For The Love of Money**_

_**Epilogue**_

_**3 days later**_

_Caitlin stood on the porch of Hawke's cabin drinking coffee and watching the morning sunrise over the lake and reflecting on the twists and turns her life had taken since the day of the bank robbery. _

_After that first night with Hawke, she knew that things would never be the same between them again. Her harrowing experience had broken her down and Hawke had been there to pick up the pieces. In the last few days she had been more intimate with him, and not in just a physical way, than she had ever been with anyone else in her life. She had always known Hawke to be an intense man but she was also learning that he could be the gentlest and most caring man she had ever met as well. She had come to learn that his touch could heal her like no other. It was all his intenseness rolled up in other forms. _

_For two years she had wondered if she had made the right decision, coming to California to find the man and his machine that had so caught her attention and her heart in Pope County, Texas. Finally she had her answer…she was home._

_Hawke smiled as he watched Cait from the doorway of the cabin. He wondered why it had taken him so long to take a chance on the feisty, red-headed, woman from Texas. Three nights ago when he held her in his arms for the first time, he knew that she had been exactly what he had been searching for. It wasn't just that their bodies seem to fit together like a hand in a glove, it was that they both needed what the other had to give. _

_On the other hand, maybe it was because they had waited two years that things seemed so right now. In that time, they had shared experiences that no one else would understand, that no one else would ever feel the pain of or be able to grasp the importance of. That understanding is what allowed them to savor every happy moment like no other. Whatever it was, Hawke just knew it was right. _

_Stepping up behind her, Hawke slid his arms around Cait's waist and pulled her back against his bare chest. "Good morning," he whispered as he lightly kissed the back of her neck. _

_"Mmmmm, morning handsome," she replied as a tingle ran down her spine. Caitlin was still amazed at how every single touch from Hawke could electrify her body. "I know we have to go back to work today, but I almost hate to leave. Everything just seems so perfect."_

_"I could call, Dom and tell him something came up." Hawke said as his kisses worked his way around the side of her neck and up to her ear. His appetite for her had become seemingly insatiable._

_"Don't tempt me," she said with a grin as she turned in his arms to face him. _

_"You sure?" he asked as his arm slid around the back of her neck and pulled her in close so they were a mere breath's width apart. _

_"I thought I was," she said with a giggle. "But if you keep that up, I'll never go back to work. Now back off, mister, before we both get in trouble."_

_"I like trouble," he retorted with a twinkle in his eyes._

_"Yeah, well you won't like the trouble Dom gives us if we don't show up today," she said as she wiggled out of his grasp. _

_"Oh, alright," he said. "We need to go in anyways. Dom's got a surprise for you."_

_"A surprise?" Caitlin asked with great curiosity. _

_"Uh-huh. But that's all you're getting out of me. C'mon, let's get dressed and get to the hangar. Of course, you do know I'll expect to finish what we started here when we get back home tonight." _

_"I think that can be arranged," she said as she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss before heading up to the loft to shower and get dressed. _

_**AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAW**_

_Arriving at the hangar, Caitlin was surprised to see the large hangar door shut. "Well, I wonder where Dom is?" she asked as Hawke landed the chopper on the tarmac. Just then she saw Dom walking around the side of the hangar and approach the chopper, hands on hips. _

_"Well it's about time you two kids came back. I thought I was going to have to send a search and rescue team up to that cabin to look for you!" _

_"Believe me, Dom, I didn't need rescuing," Hawke responded with a wink to Cait. _

_Dom blushed slightly at the innuendo and nervously cleared his throat. "Oh well, yeah…I guess not." Even through the embarrassment, a grin appeared on his face. He couldn't be happier that his two favorite people had finally gotten together. _

_"So, Hawke said you had a surprise for me?" Caitlin asked quickly changing the subject before Dom became any more uncomfortable. "I'm not sure I can handle any more surprises."_

_"Oh you'll like this one." Dom said cryptically as he headed over towards the hangar. Now you two, stay right here, I'll be right back," he instructed as he let himself into the hangar. _

_Caitlin looked to Hawke who just shrugged and smiled. In a few minutes, Caitlin heard the large garage/hangar door lifting. As she could start to see further inside the hangar she couldn't believe what she saw…parked inside was the yellow and red Cessna 170B plane that she had hoped to buy when she went to the bank the other day. _

_"What's this doing here?" she asked curiously as she looked back and forth between the two men. _

_"Well, you had to have somewhere to keep your plane now, didn't you?" Dom asked._

_"__My__ plane? What are you talking about?" Caitlin asked as she started to get excited. _

_"Well when the bank realized all that you had done to get their money back and to save the hostages, they decided you needed some kind of reward. When we told them what you had gone to the bank for in the first place they agreed that if you paid the half that you already had saved, they would give a reward equal to the other half and pay off your plane for you. So…here she is…she's all yours!" Dom said with a grin a mile wide on his face. _

_"Really?" was all Caitlin could manage to say as she walked up and lovingly ran her hand down the side of the sleek aircraft. _

_"Yes, really," Hawke said with a laugh as he came up beside her and planted a kiss on her cheek. "And Dom's already given it a once-over so she's ready to fly whenever you're ready to take her up."_

_"Oh boy!" Caitlin said, her excitement showing through her Texas twang that often came back in such situations. _

_Within 15 minutes, Dom and Hawke and Cait were flying high above the airstrip in the little plane. They all knew that life would hold more turmoil for them in the future but right now, right here in this moment, they all knew that life was what it was supposed to be for each of them. _

_**THE END**_

_A/N: I hope you enjoyed this little ending…I just couldn't let this story go without Cait getting that plane that she so wanted. _


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